Nord’s Documentary Versus Instrumental Translation: The Case of Hugo’s Demain, dès L’aube

Luis Miguel Dos Santos

doi:10.5539/ells.v6n3p76

Abstract

<p>Documentary and instrumental strategies were widely employed in translation works. The paper examined the application of documentary and instrumental strategies to the French poem <em>Demain, dès L'aube</em> by Victor Hugo (1802-1885). The author compared numbers of translation works from the academic and public field for the usage of the strategies by Nord (2005). The result indicated that while documentary translation was depicted as an overt version or report of a text in another language. On the other hands, instrumental translation was depicted as a form of communication that was autonomous from the source text (ST) and which might be appraised on how effectively it passed across an author’s message (Chersterman, 2000). These distinctions were useful in the translation of the case text since they both indicated the understanding and consciousness of both cultural and linguistic accommodation during translation in order to pass across the original message intended by the author of the source text (Greenberg, 2003).</p>

Highlights

The objective of this essay is to examine and discuss the implications of Nord’s distinction between documentary and instrumental translation
While documentary translation is depicted as an overt version or report of a text in another language, instrumental translation is depicted as a form of communication that is autonomous from the source text (ST)
This shortcoming does not apply to Nord’s notion because Nord’s technique allows for both an overt version of a text in another language and a form of communication that is autonomous from the source text (Nord, 1997)

Summary

Introduction

The objective of this essay is to examine and discuss the implications of Nord’s distinction between documentary and instrumental translation. The case text used in the discussions made is the French poem Demain, dès L’aube by Victor Hugo (1802-1885). While documentary translation is depicted as an overt version or report of a text in another language, instrumental translation is depicted as a form of communication that is autonomous from the source text (ST). The distinction between these two techniques is important since it determines the effective in which a translated text passes across an author’s intended message (Baker, 1992). As depicted in the translation of the case study poem using both techniques, effective forms of translations, are those which successfully bridge both the verbal and non-verbal gaps which obstruct effective communication between a sender and receiver in the communication process (Munday, 2001)

Case Study Poem

Nord’s Documentary and Instrumental Translation

Documentary Transaltion

Instrumental Translation

Translation of Case Text and Implications of Nord’s Classification

Conclusion